excoriating

verb

Definition of excoriatingnext
present participle of excoriate
1
as in attacking
to criticize harshly and usually publicly the mayor had hardly been in office for a month before she was being excoriated for problems of very long standing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in irritating
to make sore by continued rubbing the manacles had badly excoriated the prisoner's wrists

Synonyms & Similar Words

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for excoriating
  1. attacking
  2. irritating
  3. slamming
  4. scratching
  5. scraping
  6. criticizing
Verb
  • The inmate accused of fatally attacking prison guard Andrew Lansing on Christmas Day was issued a misconduct report in April for making threats, according to Lansing's brother and the prison guard union.
    Laura A. Bischoff, The Enquirer, 27 Dec. 2024
  • But future opponents will surely seek to incorporate elements of the defensive blueprint which helped Everton and Fulham derail Chelsea’s attacking momentum.
    Liam Twomey, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
Definition of attacking
Verb
  • Cover irritating clothing seams with a smooth material such as silk to avoid abrasive irritation.
    Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 5 Jan. 2025
  • At Abercrombie & Fitch Packed with conditioning and hydrating castor oil, argan oil & coconut oil, this eyelash & brow growth serum will help promote the appearance of longer, fuller looking lashes and brows without the use of irritating or harmful ingredients.
    refinery29.com, refinery29.com, 4 Jan. 2025
Definition of irritating
Verb
  • Hundreds of drones being used as part of a Saturday night aerial light show in Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando appeared to be flying into position before several started falling from the sky before slamming to the ground, according to videos posted online.
    Louis Casiano, Fox News, 23 Dec. 2024
  • His endorsement of the AfD came alongside a video of a far-right German commentator slamming the leading candidate to become Germany’s next chancellor, the conservative Friedrich Merz.
    Laura Kelly, The Hill, 20 Dec. 2024
Definition of slamming
Verb
  • But that’s just scratching the surface – addressing only the symptoms of the underlying challenges and only addressing them at the end of the SDLC process.
    Jeremy Vaughan, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
  • Similar to a sheet pan, whole meals can be built in a Dutch oven, scratching that same itch for convenience and less clean up.
    Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 23 Dec. 2024
Definition of scratching
Verb
  • Helped by the transaxle layout, the massive power gains, and sublime styling inside and out, the Vantage also requires less of the sacrifices dictated by low-slung mid-engine supercars that demand constant vigilance to avoid scraping on speed bumps, rough canyon roads, or driveways.
    Michael Teo Van Runkle, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024
  • The scraping sensations shouldn't be painful but may feel slightly uncomfortable.
    Carley Millhone, Health, 27 Dec. 2024
Definition of scraping
Verb
  • Finally, Assad’s fall has fueled domestic discontent among loyalists to the regime in Tehran, with some calling the loss a strategic blunder and openly criticizing the government on state television.
    Hamidreza Azizi, Foreign Affairs, 23 Dec. 2024
  • Shiney-Ajay said Harris should have spent additional time criticizing lawmakers—like Manchin and Congressional Republicans—who limited the administration's climate goals, using it as a chance to emphasize her intent to seek greater climate victories in the future.
    Alex J. Rouhandeh, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024
Definition of criticizing
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near excoriating

excoriates

excoriating

excoriation

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Excoriating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excoriating. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on excoriating

Nglish: Translation of excoriating for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of excoriating for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Top 12 Sophisticated Compliments

Word of the Year 2024 | Polarization

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
white rubber duck stands out in a row of yellow ducks
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.